A delightful Episcopal church

One of the joys of being on vacation is the ability to visit other churches. While staying in Marlinton, WV we discovered a delightful little Episcopal Church - St. John's. If more Episcopal Churches were as friendly, yet serious as St. John's the Episcopal Church would explode with new members!

We were not dressed for church -- we thought we would have left before Sunday (see blog about the Green Briar Trail) --- and yet we were welcomed warmly. We decided to be true Episcopalians and not arrive TOO early - about 10:55 was early enough. Several people were standing around talking when we walked in but everyone stopped their conversation to greet us. (I did not tell them I was a priest and I think they were much more impressed with Shirley's singing anyway!)

Although there were "only" about 10 people present there was no sense of dispair or depression over numbers but real joy over being together and worshiping.

We used Morning Prayer and the leader, an English woman with a delightful voice, did a great job. She put energy and enthusiasm into the service without it becoming at all disrespectful. She read the gospel lesson as it was written, as a story, with some inflection at appropriate places.

After the service we just stood and chatted with a couple members including a man, Dr. Jim (did not catch his last name) who will soon be ordained a deacon and later a priest. He will be serving two congregations. I sooooo wanted to give him some advice but managed to hold my tongue! (Ask Shirley if you doubt my word on that!)

Whimper not a bang

Well, the meeting of Anglican (Episcopal) Bishops from around the world, known as the Lambeth Conference, has ended with more of a whimper than a bang ---- personally, I am very glad!!

One of the things I have noticed is that Jesus spent very little time, even with the most generous count, discussing human sexuality. He never once mentioned homosexuality (which is NOT to say it is unimportant!).

My point is simply that we should put the emphasis on issues Jesus emphasized -- care of the poor, our excessive focus on money and material things, healing the sick, visiting the lonely, etc. etc. When our resources, especially our time and energy, are focused in a way which is greatly out of sync with Jesus' focus --- it is time to reconsider our efforts.So I was glad that the Lambeth Conference did not become a 10 day discussion on homosexuality.

I know that those who believe the church should condemn any and all homosexuals believe the fact that many bishops around the world did not attend is a sign they reject the right to even discuss the issue. And there is probably some truth in that.

However I find myself siding with those who say that the fact that over 2/3rds of the bishops from around the world could gather and have honest, deep, meaningful discussions about a number of issues is very encouraging. Furthermore, I am intrigued by the fact that many of the Bishops who did not attend come from some of the poorest, least healthy, and most violent societies in the world. (Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, and Kenya) I have to wonder if God wants His church leaders focused on what happens in New Hampshire while so many of God's children are dying in these Bishop's country of responsibility. I wonder if God would not have preferred they attended Lambeth, made their points on homosexuality, but then also joined in the conversations about how to save the lives of people in their home churches?

We need to continue discussing the issues around human sexuality including homosexuality but also questions about divorce, remarriage, and female church leadership. Those are somewhat less visible but just as divisive in some ways as homosexuality.

I have my thoughts and beliefs, beginning with the firm belief that only God is right all the time, I am not God, and therefore I must be wrong some of the time. So I try very hard to "discuss" while remembering that I could be wrong. But I will "argue" on one point --- when someone says there is nothing to discuss because THEY know exactly what God intends -- I will disagree strongly!

I believe we can only learn what God intends by being willing to discuss --- and listen. We can only learn more from people who disagree with us. People who only repeat our own thoughts can teach us nothing.BUT --- a very important "but" if we spend more time on that then we do being "servants to all" as Jesus instructed us to do -- we have missed the point. I firmly believe God will forgive us for being wrong about capital punishment or abortion or whatever as long as we have honestly and sincerely attempted to understand God's mind. But, I also firmly believe God will be less open to people who fail to act in a loving manner to those around them --- including those we disagree with.

For closing thoughts by the Archbishop of Canterbury, our Presiding Bishop, and our own Bishop Curry you can go to www.episdionc.org for links.

Lambeth Conference - 2

I suspect we will find many more blogs regarding this summer's Lambeth Conference! In summary that is the every 10 year gathering of Anglican (Episcopal) Bishops from throughout the world.

What the media and many other people have missed is that Lambeth was created as a "family gathering" and not a legislative session. Under our system, this group of bishops has zero authority except when they get home. They do sometimes pass resolutions but those are "sense of the gathering" style resolutions. That is: "the majority of the Bishops gathered hold the opinion that ____ "

Naturally people who agree with the statement like to emphasize it while those who do not tend to ignore the resolution.

Bishop Curry has written a short introduction to this year's Lambeth Conference which you can find at www.episdionc.org You can also go to http://www.episcopalchurch.org/episcopal_life.htm and get information from our national church. They try to be moderate but obviously have some bias. The other side is frequently found at http://www.livingchurch.org/ . They too make some effort to be moderate or balanced but also have a bit of an anti-establishment bias. (Lambeth is July 16-August 3)

My suggestion is to basically ignore the national press who still find it difficult to pronounce "Episcopalian" and watch these three places for updates.

Special music

On June 8th Shirley and I went to All Saints for a concert by Deborah and Johathan Hutchinson. Wow!

I was tired. We had hustled all week to be ready for Blake Leckie's funeral and interment. That was on top of an already busy week. Then Sunday was the youth car wash which I had little to do with --- but it adds to the confusion! So Shirley and I wondered about even going but decided to give it a try. And we are so glad we did.


Shirley is the musician so I asked her afterwards to characterize the music. She said it all had a gospel theme by the style was impossible to characterize. There were hints of blues, soft rock, even a bit of new age. We were extremely impressed not only by the music, most of which (all?) they wrote but by the "production". Her voice is wonderful! And they way they blended voices, guitar, flute and keyboard was outstanding. Several times they introduced pieces by discussing the scriptural passage which inspired that song.

They gave me permission to post a song or two on this blog ... now I just have to figure out how to do it! (Any help out there?)

It is my sincere hope we can invite them to St. Christopher's sometime in the near future.

Scattering of Ashes

Saturday for the first time our Memorial Garden was used as intended --- as a location to have a person's ashes scattered. Blake Leckie, one of our founding members, had specified that he wanted his body cremated and his ashes placed in the Memorial Garden.

Although this is not especially common, it is also not unknown. Frequently we hear of people wanting their ashes scattered over the ocean or at a favorite park. Blake was such a pillar of this church that he asked to have his placed here.

I had dug a small ditch for the ashes to be placed within. As the ashes were placed by his children, I covered them with white sand to prevent an blowing away. Later, after everyone had left, I covered them up with the garden dirt.

It was an amazingly moving time for me. Several other people made a similar comment. The Garden is now an extra special place.

Archbishop of Cantebury

Funny thing --- every time I think we (St. Christopher's) are doing things in a modern way, I find we are behind the curve!!

The Archbishop of Canterbury is on YouTube! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCJ1G_3WPjw

If you have wondered "who is this guy anyway?" This could give you a small taste. PLUS - he is speaking about the upcoming Lambeth conference for most of the Anglican (the general name for the church we belong to) bishops. AND, in so doing he touches on the issues facing our worldwide church.

Although sexuality is the usually named issue, the issues are much more broad and difficult. The underlying issue is the issue of hierarchical authority. As the American bishops pointed out last year, the American church reduced the amount of hierarchical authority after the revolutionary war. (They went on to say: and we have no desire to become a colony again -- paraphrase) After the Revolutionary war we organized a church that has hierarchy -- bishops, but only our General Convention (similar to the US Congress) above the Bishops. The Presiding Bishop has virtually no authority. The Archbishop of Canterbury has no authority over US churches.

Many of our world wide cousins still have a stronger hierarchy and cannot understand that we do not. So they have gone around looking for someone to control us and are frustrated that no such power exists.

(Especially frustrating for me was finding out how many of my ordained, Episcopal colleagues did not understand this! I had friends argue that the Presiding Bishop should do this or the Archbishop of Canterbury should do that. When I pointed out that they did not have the authority to do those things -- I was challenged and doubted -- until they did some research!)

I am impressed that this worldwide gathering of church leaders will spend more time on Bible study than resolutions! What a great model.

We may be behind the technological curve but I am not sure I want to be on U-tube!

Evangelical Manifesto

An article in the News & Record last Sunday mentioned an "evangelical manifesto" which was shaking up Washington DC! Great lead in ... had to go get it. "www.evangelicalmanifesto.com" The article stresses how the term "evangelical" has become synonymous (to many people anyway) with "right leaning Republicans". Since in many ways I consider myself evangelical -- that characterization really bothers me! And frankly, does not fit me.

The manifest states that "evangelicals should be defined theologically, and not politically, socially, or culturally". It goes on to say that "Evangelicals in American, along with people of all faiths and ideologies, represent the greatest challenges of the global era: "Living with our deepest differences"

Wow! We Episcopalians have been attempting to live with our deepest differences --- or at least some CLAIM to be seeking that goal. So to have this group, a group many Episcopalians consider the "other end of the spectrum" from us, to have this group make that claim is both challenging and encouraging.

Can we live up to that standard? A standard to be defined by our theology? More importantly perhaps, what is our theology?

Historically we have said that our theology is basically defined by the Nicene and Apostles Creeds. These are in the Prayer Book on page 358 and page 304 respectively with the Apostles Creed ending with the words: "and the life everlasting".

To that definition I would add (and I think most Episcopalians would agree) "the creeds as expanded upon by the remainder of the Baptismal Covenant" (You can go to www.BCPonline.org if you do not have your copy of the Prayer Book handy!)

As we look over those creeds we discover they say nothing about issues we disagree about, and various evangelical churches disagree about --- capital punishment is probably the easiest example to cite. You can build a pretty good case from Scripture either for or against capital punishment. People who say they go only from Scripture are picking which passages to cite. That's why it is so important to be willing to honestly listen to other people who disagree with us --- it is at least faintly possible they are right and we are wrong!

I mentioned a couple weeks ago how reading sermons and articles defending slavery which were written in the 1850's and 1860's really affected me. In many cases you could hear the sincere faith and belief of the writers. The fact they were wrong in defending slavery did not change the fact that at their deepest level of knowledge and belief they thought they were right. They thought they knew God's will. They thought they were reading scripture as God intended.

I try very hard to remember those authors every time I am absolutely sure I am right!

All that said, there is one issue or question I am totally unwilling to consider being wrong about --- God loves you!!! (and me)

OK I shocked and annoyed a few people by saying I consider myself an evangelical -- at least in many ways. So I guess it is only fair to define the term as I see it: (1) believing God loves us all - equally - even those who do not love God, (2) believing that Jesus meant what He said about how we need to be a servant to all, and especially to the "least of these", and (3) believing Jesus meant what He said in the great commission that our job is to go to all people and preach (word and action) the good news of God's love for them. (btw - that is a Ken Kroohs unauthorized paraphrase of the Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20

blessings